Joseph Hu Biography

Pagliacci Cast

Joseph Hu (Beppe)

Taiwanese-American Joseph Hu is one of America's important character tenors, sought after for roles such as Goro in Madama Butterfly, both Pang and Pong in Turandot, Steuermann in Der fliegende Holländer, the High Priest in Idomeneo and Spoletta in Tosca. Following a recent performance of Madama Butterfly with San Diego Opera, Mr. Hu garnered critical acclaim as "a first-rate comprimario tenor." Last year he added the role of Mime to his repertoire, which he covered for Seattle Opera, in both Das Rheingold and Siegfried as part of Wagner's Ring Cycle.

Next season he performs Pong with San Diego Opera and San Antonio Opera, and Remendado in Carmen with San Diego Opera

During the 2009/2010 season, Mr. Hu returned to San Diego Opera in his sixteenth season with the company as Abdallo in Nabucco and Gaston in La Traviata. He also made his debut with Vancouver Opera as Goro in Madama Butterfly.

In 2008 he performed that same role with Michigan Opera Theatre, following a successful international debut with the Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv, and an additional three engagements with San Diego Opera; Borsa in Rigoletto, Spoletta and Goro. Last season he performed in San Diego the First Philistine in Samson & Delilah, Don Curzio in Le nozze di Figaro and Ruiz in Il trovatore.

In recent years he has performed these three roles in addition to the First Jew in Salome, Malcolm in Macbeth, Abdallo in Nabucco, and First Armored Man in Die Zauberflöte with Dallas Opera, Pong with Palm Beach Opera and Opera Memphis, Goro with Baltimore Opera, Second Priest in Die Zauberflöte with San Diego Opera. Other roles include Beppe in I Pagliacci, Nathaniel/Cochenille in Les contes d'Hoffmann and Brighella in Ariadne auf Naxos, Chekalinsky in Pique Dame, Borsa in Rigoletto and Wirt in Der Rosenkavalier, all for Dallas Opera, and Goro with Cleveland Opera, Tulsa Opera and Syracuse Opera.

Mr. Hu has also performed with Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Opera, Dayton Opera, and Fort Worth Opera. In addition he has sung Beppe with Opera Delaware, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with Eugene Opera, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte with Nashville Opera and Jacquino in Fidelio with the San Antonio Symphony. Additional roles with San Diego Opera include Rodrigo in Otello, the Chief Magistrate in Un ballo in maschera and Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor.

In concert he has performed works of Bach, Handel and Mozart with the Tulsa Philharmonic, San Antonio Symphony and the National Symphony of Taiwan. He made his Carnegie Hall debut as a tenor soloist in Mozart's Requiem.